Riding the wind of rebirth

“The two elders are getting old and are somewhat reluctant to go out,” Zhou Zhi said with a smile. “So we have to ask Master Ma to spread the word and tell them that there is a large seal made by Huang Tingjian for his own use, engraving Su Shi’s poems and landscape paintings, in Tianhuang stone. Maybe when the ribbon-cutting ceremony is held, the two elders will be happy to come over.”

"What was that line from the inscription I just mentioned? 'The origin is known!'" Master Ma laughed and scolded, "I think you're just like your second brother, neither of you does business at a loss!"

"Compared to your museum, mine is really child's play." Mr. Ma shook his head: "The title of the first private museum has become a joke."

“Without my senior brother paving the way, I wouldn’t dare to do this,” Zhou Zhi said with a smile. “Now that I know the country is encouraging me and that you have set an example, I dare to show many things to everyone.”

"From the setup to the display, it looks great." Yan Zhenwei nodded: "A lot of effort has definitely been put into it. Just thinking about this being my work environment makes me happy."

“Then we still need to go and take a look at the annex.” Zhou Zhi said with a smile, “We can’t have only one side that’s good, whether it’s the work environment or the living environment.”

The original Overseas Chinese Hotel had an L-shaped structure, with the main building on the longer side and the annex on the shorter side. The main building was the hotel's reception area, while the annex was the administrative area.

Now that the building has been connected, the main building has become a museum and the southern branch of Hanhai Art Products Co., Ltd., while the annex has been transformed into a venue for banquets, VIP receptions, residences, and administrative functions.

With Lin Wanqiu in charge and Zhou Zhi providing the funding, the Italian design master who designed Demian Hall was in charge of the design, and a Hong Kong designer in charge of the interior design. Lin Wanqiu also brought the entire hotel service management team from Hong Kong Island. The hardware, software, and management conditions were naturally top-notch.

With soothing background music, premium Hangzhou green tea, and the beautiful view of West Lake outside the window, everyone felt incredibly comfortable sitting in the hall, enjoying drinks and chatting.

"Indeed, it is quite nice. Although the inner courtyard of Demian Hall is spacious, it is surrounded by high walls, so the scenery of lakes and mountains in the Jiangnan water towns cannot be seen."

"There's also the issue of vegetation. Even in Beihai Park and the Summer Palace, the visual effect gives people a feeling that the artificial is more than the natural, unlike here, where it's seven parts nature and three parts human effort." Zhou Zhi expressed his approval of the design team's efforts: "For me, who grew up by the river, the atmosphere here is more in line with my personal preferences."

The Hangzhou cuisine of later generations was ruined by the West Lake Vinegar Fish, but Zhouzhi still had a good impression of Hangzhou cuisine. At least the dishes prepared by the chefs here, such as Longjing Shrimp, Water Shield Soup, Fermented Bean Curd Pork, Song Sao Fish Soup, Braised Bamboo Shoots with Fermented Rice Wine, and Stir-fried Eel, were all very good.

Zhou Zhi even felt that none of the thirty-six Hangzhou dishes that were once included in "Famous Chinese Dishes" were weak. The only weakness might be the decline of the local catering industry in Hangzhou in the following decades, which led to the disastrous consequences of treating tourists as Japanese.

"Hangzhou cuisine is also quite particular about seasonality." Zhou Zhi recommended braised bamboo shoots with fermented rice wine: "Take bamboo shoots as an example. In winter and spring, there is braised spring bamboo shoots in oil. In late spring and early summer, there is a famous dish called bamboo shoots with fish. In summer, there is this braised bamboo shoots with fermented rice wine. In summer and autumn, there is braised bamboo shoots with fire and bamboo shoots with pork belly. When winter comes, it will be winter bamboo shoots with shrimp roe."

"Whether it's the season of the ingredients or the cooking techniques and fire control, everything is so particular. If it's made according to strict requirements, how could the quality of Hangzhou cuisine, which comes from a historically prosperous region, be anything but good?"

"The recipes are right there; the key is your mindset when making them."

They chatted and enjoyed their meal, while the manager, listening intently, soon brought over the head chef: "Mr. Zhou, is there anything you're dissatisfied with in our dishes? Please let our head chef know, and we'll make serious improvements." "No, no, quite the opposite, I'm very satisfied with the dishes," Zhou Zhi stood up and shook hands with the head chef to show respect: "The season for water shield is already a month over, and it's truly remarkable that you could find such fresh and tender water shield to serve us."

"There are fewer and fewer water shield now, and the best season is late April." In any industry, it is hard to find a true connoisseur. The head chef met a knowledgeable foodie and felt that his efforts had not been in vain, so he was naturally very happy: "Although the yield is large from May to July, the gelatinous texture and freshness are not as good."

"After August, the quality of water shield will recover somewhat, but the yield will be too low."

"We got this water shield from Majiawu, at the foot of Jiuyou Mountain. It's a shady spot and a water inlet, so the water temperature is lower. The quality of the water shield in this month is about the same as in spring. Otherwise, we wouldn't dare to make this dish to entertain our distinguished guests at this time of year."

"I see, that's so thoughtful of you." Zhou Zhi smiled and said, "I'll definitely have the chance to taste Master Zhong's excellent cooking again. Oh, by the way, when is the best time to enjoy the Three Whites of Taihu Lake?"

West Lake is an artificial lake, with water drawn from the city center. The water quality changes are not very reliable, so the aquatic products in it are not very trustworthy.

However, Suzhou and Wuxi are not far apart, and the aquatic products of Taihu Lake are better, the most famous of which are the "Three Whites of Taihu Lake".

Master Zhong said, "Whitefish should definitely be eaten in May or June of the lunar calendar. At this time, the whitefish are just before spawning and are at their fattest and most tender. We call them 'Shili Whitefish,' which are even better than those from September."

"When it comes to white shrimp, we emphasize eating 'three shrimp,' which refers to the shrimp roe, shrimp brain, and shrimp meat. All three parts can be cooked separately, which is around the fifth or sixth month of the lunar calendar. Drunken shrimp and stir-fried three shrimp are best made during that time. White shrimp are still delicious in this season, but we can only cook them as shrimp meat now."

"As for silverfish, we'll have to wait another month. After September, the silverfish will be plump and ready to be used to make silverfish and water shield soup."

"If you have time to come around these times, I'll take you to Xukou. My apprentice runs a small restaurant in the fishing village. We'll catch the fish, cook it fresh, and eat it right away."

Zhou Zhi listened with great interest, but still looked regretful: "School has already started in September, so I probably can't come. Let's talk about it next year. I'll bring our chefs from Sichuan to come and exchange ideas with Chef Zhong then."

"Welcome, very welcome," Master Zhong said with a smile. "I always thought Mr. Zhou was too young; it turns out he's still a student."

“Many of the dishes in Hangzhou cuisine are light and refreshing, such as Longjing Shrimp, which are very suitable for the elderly,” Zhou Zhi said. “When the museum opens, many seniors will come, and we will need to trouble Chef Zhong to prepare more dishes suitable for the elderly. We will appreciate your help then.”

"Please rest assured, Mr. Zhou." Although this was the first time he had met Zhou Zhi, Chef Zhong liked the young man very much. He felt that the man in front of him truly understood food and genuinely appreciated him. This sense of satisfaction was something he could not experience when cooking for other high-ranking officials or wealthy people: "I will do my best to make it as perfect as possible."

After settling Yan Zhenwei in, Zhou Zhi's mission was essentially complete. However, now that he was in Hangzhou, he naturally had to visit Suzhou and Shanghai as well, otherwise his old acquaintances would complain endlessly if they found out. (End of Chapter)